To Help or Not To Help
by Tigergirl
Summary: DISCONTINUED. Life has been relatively quiet for the Ronin Warriors with no attacks from the dynasty. One afternoon, White Blaze comes back to the house with a mysterious young woman who knows everything about their armors and the dynasty. She is in dire need of their help, but will they help her when she reveals who she is and what other secrets she holds?
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **To Help or Not To Help

**Author: **Tigergirl

**Rated:** T for language

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ronin Warriors. However, I do own Kylie and any other characters found in here but not in the RW series.

**Summary:** Life has been relatively quiet for the Ronin Warriors with no attacks from the dynasty. One afternoon, White Blaze comes back to the house with a mysterious young woman who knows everything about their armors and the dynasty. She is in dire need of their help, but will they help her when she reveals who she is and what other secrets she holds?

CHAPTER ONE

Life was quiet at the Koji household. Lately, the dynasty had been quiet with no soldiers attacking the city or the warlords stirring up trouble. Ryo stretched out his arms before falling back against a tree and closing his eyes. Rowen was sitting next to him with his eyes closed.

"Hey, Ro?" Ryo said.

Rowen made a low grunt noise in the back of his throat. That was the only indication Ryo was going to get that his friend was still awake.

"Why do you think they haven't attacked in a while?" Ryo asked.

Rowen groaned as he turned his head towards his friend and opened his eyes.

"Truthfully, I don't care, Ryo. They're leaving us alone and letting us pretend we actually have normal lives," Rowen answered before closing his eyes and turning away.

A loud chuckle burst out of Ryo. Because of the close proximity, it shook Rowen a little who smiled in response.

"Rowen, we all know that our lives have never been normal. And I doubt they ever will be," Ryo laughed.

The obvious statement caused Rowen to let out a small chuckle himself. No truer statement was ever spoken. Their laughter died down just as they heard Cye's voice calling them from the house.

"Dinner!"

In a flash, Rowen was on his feet, across the yard, and in the house. Ryo choked back a laugh as he calmly stood up and made his way slowly towards the house. He knew the reason for Rowen's rush was Kento. He was known for dishing out more food on his plate than the others, leaving whoever was last at the table with very little to eat.

Ryo didn't mind. He had eaten a large lunch so he wasn't too hungry at the moment. Glancing around, the Wildfire bearer didn't see his large feline companion. He wasn't worried about White Blaze, though. The tiger was known for disappearing for a few days at a time.

Ryo entered the kitchen where he found his four buddies sitting at dinner table. Cye and Sage were politely waiting for him while Rowen and Kento had already started eating. Ryo wasn't surprised to see Mia with them. The older woman was out of the town for the weekend at a conference.

Another night with the guys, Ryo thought happily. How could life get better?

/…/

It was the middle of the night when a young woman moved about her room quietly. She picked up her bag in which she stuffed a few set of clothes in. She walked around her room using the small amount of light given off from a single candle.

Glancing at the clock on her bed stand, the young woman knew now was the best time to leave. The others were fast asleep and wouldn't wake until morning. Pulling the strap over her head, she let it rest against her chest while her bag rested against her right hip. Bending down with a cupped hand, the young female blew out the candle.

She quietly locked her door behind her before strolling slowly and quietly down a long hallway. She was careful to pass by the other four doors in the hallway without making any noise. She came out into a living room where she froze.

There was a lit candle on the coffee table and a body laid out on the couch. She held her breath as she snuck around to the back of the couch. Peeking over the couch, she realized who was on the couch and let out a quiet snort.

"Again? I swear you _never_ sleep in your room," she mumbled.

She picked up a blanket that was across the back of the couch and dropped it over the resting body. The person showed no awareness of the blanket being dropped on them. The young woman shook her head as she walked over and blew out the candle.

"You sleep like the dead," she told the prone body.

Whispering a quiet goodbye to the sleeping body, she snuck outside and started leaving the one

place she had called home for a long time. It tore at her heart to leave, but to not leave would spell doom. Using the moonlight to guide her, the young woman made her way down a pathway towards a tall weeping willow.

I can't go the same way they would or they'll know instantly where I am, she thought.

She stopped at the base of the weeping willow. Looking over her shoulder to stare momentarily at her home, she released a loud sigh.

"I hope I'm doing the right thing," she murmured.

When she turned back around, she walked through the tree and disappeared.

/…/

White Blaze stood up and stretched, letting out a small roar when doing so. The tiger walked away from his resting place and down to the lake. He stopped to lap up some water before moving on. White Blaze wandered around for a little bit before stopping by a large cherry blossom tree.

The tiger spooked when a person walked around from the other side of the tree. It was a young woman a little smaller than his human companion. Her long brown hair reminded him briefly of Mia, but her amber colored eyes are what really caught his attention. The golden colored eyes seemed to find him just as fascinating.

"Hello. What a handsome tiger, you are," she said, holding out a flat open palm.

White Blaze crept forward to sniff at the offered hand. The tiger could detect that there was something different about the young woman. He ducked his head under the hand and instead bumped his head gently into her stomach.

"Oof! Gentle, please. My stomach's a little sensitive," she whispered, reaching her hand down to pat him on the head.

White Blaze felt there was something pressing about the girl he should know as he took in her scent. She giggled softly while scratching him behind the ears.

"I wish I knew your name, handsome boy. All I know is that you're the Ryo of the Wildfire's companion."

Her last statement caused the tiger to snap his head up in alarm. The tiger let out a warning growl. The young woman held her hands up in defense.

"I mean him no harm. I need his help. Him and his friends," she explained.

The young woman started to say something else, but a sudden bout of coughing momentarily stopping her. After a few seconds of coughing, she was able to calm the hacking down and could speak again.

"Can you please take me to them?" she asked.

White Blaze didn't have to think twice before wrapping around behind her and nudging her in the direction he had come from. He had heard the sincerity in her voice. Plus, what could a girl do to five young men who possessed mystical armors?

/…/

It was early the next morning when Ryo stepped outside. He did a few exercises in the yard before jogging a few laps around the area. He was taking a sip from the hose outside when White Blaze came walking out of the forest with a young woman he had never seen before.

The girl didn't appear to be frightened by the tiger and smiled when she spotted him. Ryo turned off the hose before standing up.

"Who have you got here, White Blaze?" Ryo mumbled more to himself as the two came closer.

It was unusual for the tiger to have come across someone in his wanderings in the forest. It was even more unusual that he had led her back to the house. Ryo stepped forward with an apologetic smile on his face.

"I'm sorry about White Blaze," Ryo said. "He doesn't usually bring people around. I hope he didn't frighten you."

She smiled softly and looked at the tiger fondly.

"He's a good companion. A nice name for a wonderful creature. It suits him," she said.

Ryo stopped in front of her as his face fell into a frown. There was a feeling in the back of his head niggling at him.

"Have we met before?" he asked.

The young woman shook her head with a quiet laugh.

"Sadly, no. This is our first time meeting. But I feel as though I know you very well." She paused. "Ryo of the Wildfire."

He startled. The feeling had just intensified and he doubted very much that it was the presence of his armor. What did someone say to something like that? Thankfully, she saved him from having to respond by continuing.

"My name is Kylie and I need your help. I need the help of the Ronin Warriors."

I think life just became a little less dull, Ryo thought.

END OF CHAPTER ONE

**Hey, everyone! Push that REVIEW button and let me know what you think about the start of "To Help or Not To Help."**


	2. Chapter 2

**Vampire Ronin: **It doesn't surprise me you're the first to post a review. Glad I caught your attention with this one. Let's see if we can keep it!

**LdySubaru: **Then more you shall get!

**LittleMay:** Glad that you like it. I think all of you will really like the twists this story will have.

CHAPTER TWO

Kylie sat on the couch waiting patiently. After Ryo had broken out of his shock, he had invited her inside. He had offered her a seat on the couch before disappearing to find his friends. Craning her head to the side, she could hear him speaking upstairs with three friends. She cringed at the sound of one of the warriors getting frustrated.

Turning her head back around, Kylie heard someone in the kitchen. Curious as to who was where, Kylie stood up, walked around White Blaze and into the kitchen. She found Cye in the kitchen. She noticed he was only a few feet taller than her. Cye turned when he heard her enter.

"Hello," she said.

"Hullo. Are you a friend of Ryo's?" Cye asked.

Kylie shrugged. "Not exactly. We just met. White Blaze led me here."

Cye shot her a quizzical look. That wasn't typical behavior for the tiger. He looked her over, taking in her normal clothes and bag, before noticing something else. She seemed to have a tired look on her face and her hand was holding her stomach, although she was feeling slight discomfort.

"Are you hungry?" Cye asked. "I could fix you something to eat."

Kylie smiled as she sat down at the kitchen table. She nodded her head.

"I am a little hungry. I haven't been able to eat much. My stomach's been bothering me."

Given the look on her face, Cye suspected that this admission had been hard for her to make. He turned away from her to grab out a large pot and started pulling ingredients from the fridge.

"I have just the thing. It's a special soup recipe my mum taught me. It's good for sore stomachs," Cye grinned. "It'll take me just a few minutes to prepare it."

He kept his back to her as he poured water into the pot and started the oven. The youngest ronin started chopping up ingredients with the skills of a professional chef.

"Thank you, Cye of the Torrent."

Cye froze. He stopped what he was doing to crane his neck around.

"Did you just…?" "Yes." Glance up. "And that's why…?" Nod.

Cye sucked in a breath before turning back around. Obviously, there was something _very_

different about this newcomer; something that was causing great concern among the others if the mental headache was anything to go by.

[I thought you said she was in the living room. I don't see her.]

With his back once again to Kylie, Cye sent a thought back to his friends through the armors' mind link.

[She's down here in the kitchen.]

Silence.

[Oh.]

[What are you cooking?]

Cye covered up a laugh with a cough into his arm. Kento sure had a one track mind. He informed his friend that he was making soup and that it was not for _him_.

Closing off himself from the link, Cye turned his attention back to the soup and his kitchen guest.

"I didn't mean to be rude, but I forgot to ask you your name," Cye apologized.

Something about Cye caused Kylie to keep a constant smile on her face. They hadn't mentioned anything about the personalities of the ronins; it was a pleasure to try and get to know them.

"My name's Kylie. And you weren't being rude. Quite the opposite, I think," Kylie pointed out.

Cye felt himself turn red. He worked in silence as he concentrated on cooking up his mom's soup. She would be impressed with the improvements he had made on the recipe. Soon he finished it up and dished some out into a small bowl.

Cye brought the bowl over to her with some crackers on the side. She thanked him quietly as she picked up a cracker to chew on it. He walked back to a cabinet to grab out a cup.

"Would you like something to drink? We have water, tea, lemonade, and…" Cye opened the fridge to look inside. "…ginger ale."

Kylie scrunched up her face at the last option. "What's ginger ale?"

Cye pulled out the small bottle to show to her. He explained that it was good for sore stomachs, too. Kylie agreed to try a little. Cye poured her some before putting away the bottle. He joined her at the table with a sandwich for himself.

They ate in silence with the only sound being the clinking of a spoon against a bowl. Kylie ate a few crackers and about half the soup before politely pushing it away.

"Thank you. You're very kind," Kylie said.

Cye smiled as he put up the plates. Kylie picked up her glass to take a small sip of the ginger ale. The taste was odd, but it did seem to make her stomach feel a little better. At that moment, the others came walking into the kitchen. Rowen and Sage sat down on either side of her while Ryo stood by and Kento hopped up onto a kitchen counter.

"Do you know who I am?" Rowen asked her.

Kylie turned her head to look at him and nodded her head.

"Rowen of the Strata." She turned her head towards Sage and Kento. "Sage of the Halo and Kento of the Hardrock."

"I told you," Ryo mumbled.

Rowen ignored his friend in favor of keeping his attention on Kylie. He stared at her as if trying to figure out a new mathematical problem.

"What's your name?" Rowen inquired.

"Kylie."

Rowen seemed to think about something before speaking again.

"Kylie is Irish, Gaelic. It means graceful."

Kylie covered up her laugh with a snort. While she wasn't exactly clumsy, she would never consider herself graceful. She narrowed her eyebrows as she returned the intense stare to him.

"Rowen comes from two different origins; Gaelic and Norse. The Gaelic meaning for 'little red one' and Norse meaning for the Rowan tree," she explained.

Kento almost fell off the counter as he barked out a laugh. Rowen turned his head to shoot his friend a glare. He noticed Ryo and Cye hiding smiles behind their hands. Sage didn't bother hiding his small smirk which didn't irk Rowen at all. He and Sage had been friends long enough that the response wasn't a surprise.

Dispensing with the introductions, Rowen began to question Kylie further. It was a great concern to him and Sage that she knew who they were.

"How do you know about us and our armors?" Rowen asked.

The question caused the others to turn their full attention to Kylie. The young woman flashed them a secretive smile and a small giggle.

"My brothers told me about all of you. They described you and White Blaze to a tee," Kylie answered.

The ronins frowned. Her brothers had told her? They had a few friends in town, but no one close enough for them to have shared their secret. Unknown to the others, the gears in Kento's head had started spinning.

Nah! It couldn't be, Kento thought.

Despite his thoughts, Kento had the oddest feeling he was on the right track. Seeing as Rowen was trying to process what question to ask next, Kento beat him to it.

"How do your brothers know us?" Kento asked.

Kylie shifted her gaze to him as she leaned back in her chair. She folded her hands over her stomach as she spoke.

"They've met you on numerous occasions."

"So we know them?"

"Of course. You've known each other for quite some time."

None of them seemed to like the way she spoke honestly, but not in whole answers. Kento pushed himself off the counter to come closer. He leaned onto the kitchen table while facing Kylie. He had one question to ask that would confirm his suspicions.

"How many brothers do you have?" Kento demanded.

Kylie leaned forward with a big smile on her face. Rather than give a verbal answer, Kylie held up four fingers. She wasn't prepared for him to dash around the table, pick her up around the waist and carry her out of the kitchen. The others quickly chased after him. Cye beat him to the door and blocked his way.

"Kento, what's wrong with you? Put her down," Cye said with a serious tone.

The Hardrock bearer stopped short, but refused to put her down.

"No, no, no, _no_! We got to get her out of this house and before her brothers show up, too!" Kento exclaimed.

The others stared at him in confusion while Kylie shot him an annoyed look.

"I would very much appreciate it if you would put me down," Kylie said.

"I will as soon as I get you outside," Kento replied, trying to move around his best friend.

Kylie frowned. His stubborn nature reminded her of a certain brother of hers. This meant there was only one way to calm him down.

Kento flinched when he felt her bring her hands up to his stomach. He expected a hard blow which would have made him drop her automatically. However, when her hands came to lie on his stomach, all of his emotions – his frustration, confusion, excitement – all evaporated away. Suddenly, he was nothing but cool, calm and collected.

With Kylie's hands still on him, he righted her up to her feet and let go. Kylie removed one hand but moved the other to his arm. The others watched with mixed emotions. They were confused by the rapid change in emotion from the hard-headed ronin.

"Are you calm now?" Kylie asked in a quiet voice.

Kento nodded. She stared at him as if trying to figure out if he was telling the truth. Finally, she found what she was looking for and took her hand off of him. Almost instantly, Kento snapped out of his calm daze and took an immediate step away from the strange girl.

"What the Hell did you just do?" "You know who her brothers are?"

Kylie looked at Kento who in turn looked at Ryo. Without shifting his gaze from his leader, Kento pointed a finger at Kylie. Frowning, Kylie reached her hand up to push his hand away. He instantly snapped his head back to Kylie.

"You're not actually related to any of your brothers, are you?" Kento accused her.

Kylie shook her head. "Although I do look a little like my one brother."

Kento slowly nodded his head while wagging his finger at her.

"And I bet I know which one it is, too."

Kylie smirked.

"I bet you do."

While the two debated back and forth, the others shifted their heads from side to side. They listened with great interest. Finally, Ryo had enough and stepped up between the two.

"Okay. That's enough, you two. Tell us what you know, Ken," Ryo urged him.

Kento puffed up like an angry five year old. He crossed his arms over his chest as he glared over

Ryo's shoulder at Kylie.

"We have to get her out of here because her brothers are Talpa's warlords."

Everyone's head snapped towards Kylie who smiled sheepishly.

END OF CHAPTER TWO


	3. Chapter 3

**Vampire Ronin: **Thank you. I love curious readers. I love adding the mind link in. Makes them seem like an even tighter group of friends.

**LittleMay:** This story is going to get interesting real fast.

**TO MY READERS, I give you the next chapter to "To Help or Not To Help."**

CHAPTER THREE

Cye glanced over his shoulder at Kylie before leaving the living room. White Blaze was staying with her so the ronins weren't afraid of her going anywhere. He stepped into the kitchen where the other ronins were trying to keep their conversation quiet.

"How do we know this isn't a trap? They could have sent her in to throw us off before they attack," Kento protested.

Ryo shook his head firmly.

"She said she needed our help. I think she's sincere," he replied.

Cye could tell the others were not going to agree on this matter. On one side of the table sat Ryo and Rowen. While Ryo believed in Kylie's sincerity, Rowen was more curiosity than anything else. On the other side of the table sat Kento and Sage. Kento was quick to condemn her because of her closeness to the warlords and Sage was being cautious about the whole thing.

Not wanting to voice his opinion out loud, Cye felt as though he were on the fence about the whole situation. It's true he was concerned about the warlords, but at the same time he wanted to know why Kylie had come to them for help. Plus, like Kento, a big concern was how her simple touch had been able to calm his short temper. There were too many unanswered questions.

Then let's go to the source, Cye thought.

He silently excused himself from the kitchen. Cye walked around the couch to sit down on the coffee table across from Kylie. She was sitting back on the couch with White Blaze laying his head on her lap and against her stomach. The tiger was purring softly, causing Kylie to smile.

"I want to ask you a few questions. Is that okay?" Cye asked.

Kylie nodded. Cye drew in a deep breath before beginning.

"What did you do to Kento? You put his hands on him and then he just wasn't angry anymore," Cye said.

Kylie chuckled. She figured that would be his first question.

"Have you ever heard of an Empath?" Kylie asked in return.

Cye frowned.

"You mean a person who shows empathy for others?"

Kylie scrunched up her nose and shook her head. Taking her hand off White Blaze, she held it palm up to Cye. He laid his hand down in hers to which she closed hers gently around his. Suddenly, Cye felt as though all his worries and concerns had just melted away.

"An Empath is a special person with the psychic ability to sense the emotions of others. They can detect the emotions of others from short and long distances. Empaths can control their ability to focus on individuals at a time and to silence the emotions, when needed to curb their sanity. They also have the ability to temporarily alter a person's emotions when they touch that person."

Comprehension hit him full force as Cye realized what Kylie was telling him. When she let go of his hand, he felt all of his emotions come back to the full force and calm took a backseat. He expected it to be painful, but it was more like a small wave gently hitting the beach.

"Are people taught to be Empaths?" Cye asked, briefly wondering if one of the warlords could have taught her.

That thought was shot down with Kylie's response.

"Empaths aren't made to be Empaths. They are born with this ability. They aren't aware of the ability until they reach the age of 10. At that time, they start to train to control the ability. With time, the ability can be controlled so that it's a gift and not a curse," Kylie explained.

"And you can control it?"

"Yes."

He had only really asked one question and already his mind was working in overdrive. Kylie held out a hand again to calm him, but he refused with the shake of his head. She brought her hand back to scratch White Blaze behind the ears. She waited patiently for him to ask his next question.

"How old are you?"

"244 years old."

Cye couldn't help but give her a once over. When his eyes reached hers, he noticed a faint blush on her face. His face burned as he realized what he had done.

"I'm sorry, but you look very good for that age," Cye complimented her.

"Why, thank you."

Cye brought his hands together and up to his mouth as he contemplated what to ask next. He could hear the voices in the kitchen starting to rise and Kylie let out a deep sigh. Cye questioned her on how the obvious ronin frustration was affecting her.

"What sounds like a shout to you is a mere whisper in my head. I've been with my brothers since I was 16 so I'm used to being around large amounts of pent up anger."

Cye sucked in a breath while he did the calculations in his head. If she was 244 years old now and was 16 when she joined the warlords, then she had been with them for 228 years. _Yikes!_ Kylie giggled at the look on his face.

"They're not as bad as you think. My brothers care for me very much. They would move the world just to protect me from harm," Kylie proclaimed.

Cye leaned forward with a serious look on his face.

"So they know you're here?"

Kylie surprised him by refusing to keep his gaze. She bit her lower lip with a hesitation to answer. Cye made a noise in the back of his throat as he leaned back.

"They _don't_ know you're here."

Oh, good God! They _don't_ know she's here! What did we do to deserve this, Cye thought.

Kylie released another sigh before turning to look at him.

"They don't even know I left. If I had told them why I was coming here, they would have forced me to stay," Kylie explained.

Cye brought a hand up to his eyes. If his own sister had ever done something like Kylie had, he would have been madder than a hatter. However, Kylie quickly put him at ease by further explaining that it was typical behavior for her. Every few months or so, Kylie was known to disappear for a few days.

"But why come to us? Ryo said you needed our help. What could _we_ help you with that the warlords _couldn't_?"

Cye was taken aback by the groan Kylie let out. She started to speak, but was stopped by a racking cough that shook her entire body. It took her a minute to stop shaking and coughing. Cye brought his hand up to her shoulder to steady her. She whispered a quiet thank you to him.

Cye waited as Kylie gathered herself together. When she looked up at him, Cye noticed the dark circles under her eyes. It felt odd he had not noticed them before.

"I've been sick off and on for the last month. Just recently, my sleep's been affected by it. I had a dream a few nights ago in which the Ancient One came to me." Cye's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "He told me to seek out the Ronin Warriors."

Kylie took a shaky breath. It seemed the fatigue was hitting her today as she slumped back against the couch. Cye moved forward to sit on the couch next to her. She turned her head to

stare into his bright blue eyes.

"I know you have no reason to believe me or even trust me. But I have to find out what's wrong with me and I believe all of you can help me. All I ask is for your help and in return, my brothers won't attack you."

/…/

Cye finished wrapping a blanket around Kylie. After her confession, Cye had insisted she lay down and get some rest. It hadn't taken her long to drift off to sleep. White Blaze was laid out on the floor beside the couch. It was almost as if the tiger was watching over her like a shadow.

Cye left her to join his friends in the kitchen. They were still debating their points back and forth on what to do with Kylie.

"I think we should help her," Cye said in a loud and clear voice.

The others fell silent as they turned to regard him. Cye caught them up on everything he had learned in his conversation with Kylie. They remained silent as they digested the information. Finally, Rowen spoke up.

"How can she guarantee the warlords won't attack? They don't even know she left, let alone that she's here," Rowen said.

Cye shrugged his shoulders. For that, he didn't have an answer. Kylie had not expanded further on her statement. All she could give him was her promise that nothing would happen.

"Maybe…" Ryo paused, as if gathering his thoughts together. "Maybe it has something to do with her being an Empath."

The others nodded their heads in agreement. It was a possibility they had to consider. None of them knew enough about Empaths to object otherwise.

"We should consult Mia."

Everyone shifted their gaze to Sage who sat at the table with his arms crossed over his chest.

"It's Mia's house and we could be putting her in danger by allowing Kylie to be here," Sage said.

Rowen voiced his agreement with his best friend. He further suggested that they allow Kylie to stay the night and question her more the next day.

"Mia will be home tomorrow morning. We can talk to her about the whole thing and then we can question Kylie more," Rowan said.

"Then we're all in agreement? Kylie stays the night, we talk to Mia in the morning and we ask Kylie more questions tomorrow?" Ryo asked, making sure they were all on the same page.

He received nods from all four warriors and friends.

"Okay, then. Think on what questions we may want to ask Kylie tomorrow. For now, we should let her rest."

With that decision made, Cye proceeded to move around the kitchen to fix dinner. Rowen disappeared upstairs to read while Sage and Kento wandered outside to train. Leaving Cye alone to cook, Ryo ventured out into the living room. He leaned on the couch to look down at Kylie as she slept.

She shifted a little and emitted a small cough, but otherwise Ryo could not see anything wrong with her. Kylie was truly a fascinating person. Ryo was impressed with how calm she had remained among the enemies of her brothers. He let out a quiet chuckle at that thought.

I would have never thought of them as being close enough to be considered brothers, Ryo thought.

They had known for some time that the warlords were human (who could forget that moment?) yet Ryo was sure Kylie saw a whole another side to them. He wondered how much her presence changed their demeanor and attitude.

Ryo noted that the blanket Cye had used to tuck the young woman in had fallen down a bit. He reached down to pull it back up. He frowned when his knuckles brushed against her arm. He laid his hand flat on one of her arms then shifted over to the other.

She feels warm, Ryo thought.

Walking over to a dresser near the stairwell, Ryo opened a drawer and searched through it. It only took him a minute to find what he was looking for. He picked up an ear thermometer and held down the power button as he walked around to the front of the couch.

They had bought the ear thermometer after Yuli's last visit to the house. The little boy had been visiting for a weekend while his parents were away. He had developed a severe case of the flu and they had had to get a thermometer to help monitor his temperature.

White Blaze didn't even lift his head as Ryo knelt down. Carefully, he reached the thermometer around to the ear Kylie didn't have buried against a pillow. He held down a button and waited for the telltale beep for when it was ready. As he waited, he thought more on Kylie's connection to the warlords.

She does bare a small resemblance to Anubis, but I doubt she has any blood relation to any of them, he thought.

Beedleep. Beedleep. Beedleep. Ryo pulled the thermometer back and saw that her temperature read as 100.5. While Kylie's temperature was only a low grade fever, Ryo knew he would feel bad for not trying to help her. Ryo jogged upstairs and disappeared into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, he returned with a soaking wet washcloth. Slowly and carefully, the Wildfire bearer placed the washcloth down on Kylie's forehead and over her eyes. Having shifted to her back at some point during his absence, Kylie flinched slightly from the cold dampness of the cloth.

Ryo smiled. He was an only child and both his parents were gone now. It felt nice to have someone younger to take care of.

Even if she is technically over two hundred years old, he thought with a chuckle.

END OF CHAPTER THREE

**I hope you all enjoy this fan fic. I'm trying to show a different side to the warlords in this one. It will slowly start showing as the fic progresses. Enjoy!**


	4. Chapter 4

**LdySubaru: **That's okay! I'm just happy I have happy readers/reviewers.

**LittleMay: **Being sick in general sucks, having a fever makes it all the more worse. Keep reading.

**Guest: **Thanks! I'll try to keep it up as best as I can.

**Vampire Ronin: **Thanks. I actually like throwing the mind link in. I feel like the Ronins doesn't use it as much because they think like mortals, which they are, and are more likely to grab their phone first.

CHAPTER FOUR

Mia glanced around the corner to look in on Kylie, Ryo, and Kento who were sitting at the kitchen table having lunch. Upon arriving home only a short time ago, the boys had dragged her into the house and started telling her all about their new visitor.

"She only looks eighteen," Mia commented.

"She's actually 244 years old," Cye replied.

Mia's eyebrows shot up, but otherwise she kept her comments to herself. They had presented her with all the information they had from Kylie and now they were leaving the ultimate decision up to her. Mia knew it was a vitally important decision to make.

Because she's from the dynasty, we have to think of our safety and Yuli's safety too. After all he visits so often now. But she's come to us for help and how can we turn her away? At the same time, if we do turn her away, will the warlords attack?

Suddenly, Mia had an idea. She snuck her head back around the corner and caught Ryo's attention. She motioned for him and Kento to leave. Ryo tapped Kento on the shoulder and the man was quick to dash out of the kitchen; Kylie still freaked him out. Ryo stood up to leave, but bent down to whisper in Kylie's ear before leaving.

Once all the ronins were out of the kitchen, Mia sent them outside. It was obvious they didn't want to go but one stern look from the older woman convinced them to go. Mia entered the kitchen where Kylie was sitting quietly with a half uneaten sandwich in front of her. Kylie lifted her head when she heard Mia come in.

"Hello. Do you know who I am?" Mia asked.

Kylie nodded.

"My brothers mentioned you a few times. I'm afraid they never mentioned your name," Kylie confessed with a small half smile.

Mia couldn't say she was surprised. After all, the warlords were always fighting the ronins. They had no reason to know her name or Yuli's. In a weird way, she was relieved they didn't know her name.

"I'm Mia Koji and this is my house," Mia said.

Kyle reached her hand out to shake hands with the woman.

"It's nice to meet you, Mia. You have a lovely home," Kylie replied.

Mia nodded her head in gratitude of the compliment. She pulled out Ryo's vacant seat so she could sit across from Kylie.

"The guys told me why you're here. I must say it comes as quite a surprise. We had no idea the warlords even had someone else in their lives. How did you come to be with them?" Mia questioned.

Mia almost regretted her question by the way Kylie reacted. Her eyes grew big as if not expecting such an inquiry then she turned her head away. She started to apologize, but a sudden hand touching her on the back of her hand caused her emotions to silence. It was then she remembered what Cye had explained to her.

"_Kylie is an Empath. She can feel the emotions of others. If she touches you, she can heighten or lower your emotions."_

Kylie didn't speak. She simply kept her hand on top of Mia's as she sat in silence. Deep in the crevices of her mind, Mia urged herself to apologize and take back her question, but the wave of calm prevented her from doing so. Truthfully, it mentally scared her that she couldn't control her own emotions.

"He saved me."

Kylie's voice was so quiet Mia had almost missed her statement. It took a moment for Kylie to continue.

"I was in a…bad situation and Anubis saved me. I joined the warlords at the dynasty. Talpa saw no need for me, but he allowed me to stay with the warlords."

With a sad look in her eyes, Kylie locked gazes with Mia.

"They helped me control the emotions. The emotions started getting louder, but they showed me how to control it so they were so quiet I couldn't even hear them. I'm very close to my brothers just like the ronins are to each other." Kylie turned her head away again to let out a sad sigh. "I miss them."

Kylie removed her hand, allowing Mia to gain control of her emotions once again. Mia recalled that Cye had said it wasn't unusual for Kylie to be gone for short periods of time.

"You've been gone before. Do you always miss them so much?" Mia questioned.

Kylie answered in the negative. She explained to Mia that she usually was only gone for a week which her brothers were fine with. However, Kylie commented that she had a feeling she would be gone longer this time.

"Do you think you are seriously that sick?" Mia asked.

A silent nod. This time, Mia was the one who reached her hand forward to touch Kylie's.

"I just have one more question for you, Kylie. Is that okay?"

Again, Kylie nodded. She understood their need for questioning her. If she were in their shoes, she would have been more demanding in her questionnaire. Mia's next question didn't surprise her in the least; she had been waiting for this one to be asked.

"Rowen told me you said the warlords wouldn't attack if you were to stay here. How can you guarantee such a thing?"

"From a distance, even between the two realms, I can amplify their emotions. I amplify their emotional belief that I would never come here, let alone ask for help from the ronin warriors. If they discover I'm gone, they'll wait until a week has passed to start searching for me. They would never think to look here in the first place.

"Plus, as long as I'm here, the dynasty can't spy on any of you. My presence throws off the…uh…monitors in the dynasty. They can't detect that it's me because I'm keeping my energy too low for them. They might question why they suddenly can't see what the ronins are up to, but they'll assume it's simple interference between the realms."

Mia let out a low whistle. That was quite an impressive feat to be able to block the dynasty from spying on them. Moving her hand up to Kylie's shoulder, Mia told her she was welcome to stay until she was all healthy. Kylie thanked her.

"Would you like a tour of the house?" Mia asked her.

Kylie nodded with a smile. The two women stood and left the kitchen.

/…/

Anubis walked down the hallway towards Kylie's room. She had been holed up in her room all day which was a little odd for her. Cale had been the one to pick up on her absence and had mentioned it to him when he returned from training. He couldn't see why the lazy warlord didn't check in on her sooner.

He stopped by her door and rapped on it sharply with his knuckles.

"Kylie?" he called.

The warlord leader was surprised when there was no reply from within. Their little sister was usually quick to respond. He knocked again, but a tad louder.

"Are you okay, little sister?"

Still not receiving a response, Anubis hoped she would forgive him as he opened the door with waiting for permission to enter. He stepped inside and was shocked to find the short brunette gone. He frowned. Anubis knew she wasn't out in the living area because that's where Cale was.

He sent a thought along the mind link to Dais and Sekhmet who were outside training.

[Is Kylie outside?]

There was hesitation from Dais, but an immediate response came from Sekhmet.

[She's not out here, Anubis.]

Anubis thanked his brothers-in-arms and walked back out to where Cale was. He informed him of Kylie's disappearance. Matching Anubis, the scarred warlord frowned.

"She hasn't done her disappearing act in a while," Cale said.

Anubis nodded.

"It's been about ten years, I think," Anubis replied. "Maybe she just needed a break from us."

Cale snorted to which Anubis smirked. They all knew if they annoyed Kylie that much, she would have left a long time ago. Contrary to popular belief, she had always been given the option to leave.

As he sat down to meditate, Anubis thought about his non-blood related sister. It seemed like only yesterday he had met her. He remembered well how she had faced him in full armor with little fear. Secretly, she had intrigued him, which is why he had approached her differently and offered a helping hand to her.

Truthfully, he had not expected her to take his offer or that she would fit so nicely into their lives. It had taken some time for the five of them to get used to each other, but before long the warlords felt as though Kylie had always been with them.

Anubis was the closest in age to the female yet he still played the part of the protective older brother; as did all of them. May the Spirits help whatever poor sap Kylie ever brought back to meet them.

Now in deep meditation, Anubis tried not to dwell on the things his sister did when she disappeared. It could only lead to a certain conversation/argument with said woman who would tell them all off in a heartbeat. None of them wished a repeat performance of that particular argument.

She'll be back in a few days, Anubis thought.

END OF CHAPTER FOUR


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